Gov. Deval Patrick: Democrats need to get a backbone

In a speech Tuesday night at the Democratic convention, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick urged his fellow Democrats to get behind the president and to not back down from their ideals in the face of hardship.

“If we want to win elections in November and keep our country moving forward, if we want to earn the privilege to lead, it’s time for Democrats to stiffen our backbone and stand up for what we believe,” Patrick said. “Quit waiting for pundits or polls or super PACs to tell us who the next president or senator or congressman is going to be.”

Patrick, who succeeded Mitt Romney as governor of Massachusetts, also used his speech to ding the Republican presidential candidate for, he said, leaving Massachusetts a mess at the end of his term. Citing a study that ranked Massachusetts forty-seventh in the nation in job growth under Romney’s tenure, Patrick said a Romney presidency would be a step back for the country.

“Mitt Romney talks a lot about all the things he’s fixed. I can tell you that Massachusetts wasn’t one of them,” he said. “He’s a fine fellow and a great salesman, but as governor he was more interested in having the job than doing it.”

About the Author

Jon Terbush is a Boston-based writer whose work has appeared in Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, the New Haven Register, and elsewhere. He tweets about politics, cats, and baseball via @jonterbush.